- Daniel Mays
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Daniel Mays Born Daniel Alan Mays[1]
31 March 1978 [2]
Epping, Essex, United KingdomOccupation Actor Years active 2000–present Daniel Alan Mays (born 31 March 1978) is a British actor.
Contents
Early life
One of four boys, Mays was raised in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother.[3] He attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts before going on to win a place at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
After graduating from RADA in 2000,[4] Mays soon started appearing in a number of supporting roles ranging from a bit part in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2000 to playing a pilot in Jerry Bruckheimer's big-budget Pearl Harbor (2001). He was cast in the Mike Leigh film All or Nothing (2002) as Jason, a thug who abused his girlfriend, and also appeared in Leigh's next project, Vera Drake (2004), in which he played Sid, the protagonist's son. His performances for Leigh resulted in further offers of work.
One of Mays's most notable early roles was in the improvised BBC drama Rehab. Directed by acclaimed film maker Antonia Bird, Rehab was a drama about life inside a drug rehabilitation facility. He starred as Adam, a young heroin addict released from prison and sent directly to rehab. For his performance Mays was awarded the Best Actor award at the Palmare-Reims Television Festival in 2003.[5]
Mays has continued to work regularly, and has appeared in a variety of productions, which have included a part in Johnny Vaughan's sitcom, Top Buzzer (2004); the lead role of Carter Krantz in BBC Three's Funland (2005); as well as film appearances in Atonement (2007), White Girl (2008) and The Bank Job (2008).
Mays starred in Channel 4's Friday-night comedy-of-errors sitcom Plus One, in which he played Rob Black, the perennial victim of Sod's law whose girlfriend has dumped him to marry "Duncan from Blue". He played the role of Michael Myshkin in Channel 4's adaptation of David Peace's Red Riding trilogy.[6] He also appears in the third and final series of Ashes to Ashes on BBC1 as Discipline and Complaints Officer, DCI Jim Keats.
In addition to his TV and film work, Mays has also starred in six stage plays at London's Royal Court Theatre. The productions have included Ladybird, Motortown, The Winterling and Scarborough. Simon Stephens wrote the lead role of Danny in Motortown with Mays in mind. He went on to win critical acclaim for his performance, but the hard-hitting play was too much for some audience members and walkouts were not uncommon.[2]
Projects in 2009 included Hippie Hippie Shake (as '60s alternative figurehead David Widgery, alongside Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller); a role opposite Anna Friel in the third series of Jimmy McGovern's The Street; a "mark" in the BBC drama serial Hustle; as well as an appearance in the independent British movie Shifty, co-starring Riz Ahmed, for which he received a nomination for best supporting actor at the British Independent Film Awards.[7]
More recently, Mays has starred as Eddie O'Grady in the 2010 film Made in Dagenham.
Mays appears in the new BBC sci-fi series Outcasts,[8] which started on 7 February 2011, as PAS Officer Cass Cromwell, and in the ninth episode of the 6th series of Doctor Who, entitled "Night Terrors," broadcast on BBC One on 3 September 2011.
Future work
Also expected in 2010 are roles in No One Gets Off in This Town and a supporting role in the Steven Spielberg film The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.[citation needed]
Personal life
Mays has a young son, Mylo Burton-Mays, and lives in Crouch End, North London.[5] A keen football fan, he is a supporter of Leyton Orient Football Club.[9]
Filmography
Films
Year Film Role Notes 2001 Skin Deep Flashback youth Short film Pearl Harbor Pilot #3 2002 All or Nothing Jason 2004 Vera Drake Sid 2005 The Secret Life of Words Martin The Best Man Pool Guy 2006 Middletown Jim Hunter A Good Year Bert the Doorman 2007 Atonement Tommy Nettle 2008 The Bank Job Dave Shilling Shifty Chris Bitter Unknown Short film 2009 Mr. Nobody Young journalist The Firm Yeti 2010 Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang Blenkinsop Hippie Hippie Shake Widgery Awaiting release Made in Dagenham Eddie No One Gets Off in This Town 2011 The Adventures of Tintin Allan Television
Year Show Role Notes 1995 Fist of Fun Patrick Murphy Episode 2.5-2.6 2000 EastEnders Kevin Two episodes 2001 In Deep Dave Street Episode 1.5: "Ghost Squad: Part 1" The Bill Warren Debdale Episode 17.46: "Temptation" 2002 Manchild Mechanic Episode 1.1: "Fiftysomething" NCS Manhunt Danny Bird Episodes 1.1 and 1.6 Dead Casual Unknown TV film Tipping the Velvet Jimmy Burns TV serial 2003 Rehab Adam TV film 2004 Top Buzzer Carlton Appeared in ten episodes Keen Eddie Ronnie Wiggensey Jr. Episode 1.8: "Sticky Fingers" 2005 Beneath the Skin Moz Burnside TV film Class of '76 DS Steven Grant Funland Carter Krantz Appeared in all 11 episodes 2007 Consent Steve Saddam's Tribe Uday TV film Half Broken Things Michael TV film 2008 White Girl Steve TV film Consuming Passion Charles Boon TV film 2009 Plus One Rob Black Appeared in all five episodes Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983 Michael Myshkin The Street Mark Episode 3.2 2010 Hustle Mervyn Lloyd Episode 6.5: "Conned Out of Luck" Ashes to Ashes Jim Keats Appeared in eight episodes Outcasts Cass Cromwell Feb 2011 2011 Doctor Who[10] Alex Series 6 Episode 9: "Night Terrors" Treasure Island Doctor Livesey 2x 120 min Drama, expected Dec 2011 References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0990547/bio
- ^ a b Paddock, Terri; "20 Questions With… Daniel Mays" WhatsOnStage.com, (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ Wolf, Matt; "Happy At The Cutting Edge" TimesOnline.co.uk, 26 February 2006 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ "Alumni: Who Trained at RADA — Graduate Directory" RADA.org (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ a b "Funland Starts this autumn on BBC THREE" BBC.co.uk (Press Office), 27 September 2005 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ Barnett, David; "Bradford: City gives a backdrop to new drama" TheTelegraphAndArgus.co.uk, 9 September 2008 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ "BIFA Nominations — 2008: Best Supporting Actor for Shifty" BIFA.org.uk, (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ Outcasts
- ^ "On Soccer AM… This Saturday Gazza joins Max and Helen" SkySports.com, 17 April 2009 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ http://www.alphabetkidz.co.uk/newsitem.php?news_id=129
External links
- Daniel Mays: Curtis Brown, profile at Mays's agency
- Daniel Mays Online, an unofficial fansite
- Daniel Mays at the Internet Movie Database
Categories:- 1978 births
- Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- British actors
- Living people
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